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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    Massachusetts, USA
    Posts
    5

    Default Thinking about building...

    Hey folks. I've been keeping my eye out for a boat that will check off most of my "want" boxes in a single boat. Obviously I'm not going to get both "good for paddling around the local swamps" and "capable of trans-Atlantic passage" in the same boat, but there are some that seem realistic.

    Generally, I'd like:
    1) Light enough for one person to handle, both on- and off-water. Locally, I'm likely to be boating alone, so I'm going to need to be able to get it off the car and into the water without help.
    2) Capable of carrying two people, at least under human propulsion. I'm thinking "canoe like" here.
    3) Allow both sailing and paddling. I'm not a big fan of rowing as recreation, since I like to see where I'm going. If that's a third propulsion option, awesome, but it's not required.

    I'm looking for something comfortable on rivers and reasonably calm lakes and ponds; I don't need to be able to take it out on the ocean, or cross the great lakes, or anything like that.

    I've spotted a few options that look plausible, and I'd like input on them. I've never built a boat, but I have done a fair amount of woodworking ranging from "knock it together and hope it holds" carpentry up to a small "trick" box where the joints had to be cut dead on or it would either fall open instantly or not open at all. Hand cut dovetails are time-consuming, but not a particular challenge, and I'm planning to start making furniture this fall. I'm short on electrical tools, but hand-powered tools don't bother me any. It just means some things take more time.

    Option 1: Something like the "Beth" sailing canoe. My sailing skills are limited, so I'd certainly want to figure out how to put an outrigger or two on it as training wheels. On the plus side, it looks like just leaving off the masts would leave me with a pretty decent single-person canoe, and under light wind it would be a pretty capable sailboat. Under heavy wind, I'd have to accept getting pretty wet, even with outriggers. Downside, I hear it's moderately complex as a first build, and could get frustrating.

    Option 2: Buy a canoe, and add an outrigger and sail. Probably the easiest choice, but not terribly appealing.

    Option 3: Build the Whisp, by Steve Redmond. I love the look of it, it looks like it has the sailing capacity I'd like, and it looks like it might be narrow enough to use a paddle or double-ended paddle, although somewhat awkward. I'm not sure how it would do as a first build, though.

    Option 4: Last night I stumbled across the "Larsboat" and "Trilars" designs by Jim Michalak, which look like they might do the job in combination. I don't know much else about the larsboat, though...


    Any advice or opinions are welcome!

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Aberfoyle Park SA
    Age
    63
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    Default

    What about Michael Storer's Eureka canoe with the outriggers he designed for it?
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xq3hwRIVSvk
    cheers
    Alan J

    Nothing says "Unprofessional Job" so loudly as wrinkles in the duct tape. - B.Spencer

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    Massachusetts, USA
    Posts
    5

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by b.o.a.t. View Post
    What about Michael Storer's Eureka canoe with the outriggers he designed for it?
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xq3hwRIVSvk
    cheers
    Thanks for the pointer! It looks good, but somewhat piecemeal. The canoe, outriggers, and sail are all separate purchases. Is there an all-in-one package I just haven't spotted yet, or is that the right way to do it?

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Aberfoyle Park SA
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    Default

    although the Storer plans are separate buys, each is a self contained, step-by-step boat building course. Especially Eureka. I don't know how much 'extra' is contained in the other plan sets you listed. As you stated that you haven't built a boat before, it's probably something worth factoring into your deliberations.

    Have you had much opportunity to compare ease of paddling boats of different height and width at the gunn'ls?
    cheers
    Alan J

    Nothing says "Unprofessional Job" so loudly as wrinkles in the duct tape. - B.Spencer

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    Massachusetts, USA
    Posts
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by b.o.a.t. View Post
    although the Storer plans are separate buys, each is a self contained, step-by-step boat building course. Especially Eureka. I don't know how much 'extra' is contained in the other plan sets you listed. As you stated that you haven't built a boat before, it's probably something worth factoring into your deliberations.

    Have you had much opportunity to compare ease of paddling boats of different height and width at the gunn'ls?
    cheers
    Good to know. And yes, having more information rather than less would be very useful, given my level of experience. I have read a fair amount about boatbuilding, but I'm well aware of the difference between knowing the theory and putting it into practice.

    I haven't, or at least not recently. It's probably been five years since I went any distance in a canoe, and longer since I had the opportunity to try multiple models.

  7. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
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    Aberfoyle Park SA
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    Default

    For the uses you describe, it's probably a toss-up between Trilars (Larsboat + Trilars plans) and Eureka + outriggers.
    Or anything of similar dimensions.
    Width in the main hull is the killer for paddling. I had a Bolger Teal for a long time, but at 43" across the gunn'ls,
    it was just too wide to paddle. Anything over 32-34" is a pain. Anything under about 30" is getting a bit tippy for
    comfortable paddling unless you are sitting near the bottom, and then the angles are all wrong for single paddle,
    and high (dry) gunn'ls obstruct double-ended paddling.

    If I had to hazard a guess (I haven't paddled either, but do have plans for Eureka) I'd say Eureka would be the
    better paddling boat & Lars/Trilars the better sailor. Neither would be perfect, both would probably do the job
    well enough that you'd be happy with them. For a while anyway, until needs change or are refined by experience,
    leaning either more towards a canoe or a tri such as at http://www.diy-tris.com/ .
    Hope this helps.
    Alan J

    Nothing says "Unprofessional Job" so loudly as wrinkles in the duct tape. - B.Spencer

  8. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    Massachusetts, USA
    Posts
    5

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by b.o.a.t. View Post
    For the uses you describe, it's probably a toss-up between Trilars (Larsboat + Trilars plans) and Eureka + outriggers.
    Or anything of similar dimensions.
    Width in the main hull is the killer for paddling. I had a Bolger Teal for a long time, but at 43" across the gunn'ls,
    it was just too wide to paddle. Anything over 32-34" is a pain. Anything under about 30" is getting a bit tippy for
    comfortable paddling unless you are sitting near the bottom, and then the angles are all wrong for single paddle,
    and high (dry) gunn'ls obstruct double-ended paddling.

    If I had to hazard a guess (I haven't paddled either, but do have plans for Eureka) I'd say Eureka would be the
    better paddling boat & Lars/Trilars the better sailor. Neither would be perfect, both would probably do the job
    well enough that you'd be happy with them. For a while anyway, until needs change or are refined by experience,
    leaning either more towards a canoe or a tri such as at http://www.diy-tris.com/ .
    Hope this helps.

    Thanks for the input. I'm pretty much expecting that anything I find that can do everything won't do any of it very well. That's how most things work, anyway. I'm figuring that whatever I build first won't come out perfectly, and I'll probably want to replace it after three or four seasons, so there's plenty of space for me to play around. I'm still leaning a little bit towards the Larsboat, partly because I prefer the look, and partly because I already have Michalak's "Boatbuilding for Beginners" and know I like his designs.

    No final decisions yet, though... I've got to get rid of at least one motorcycle before I have space to start building, anyway.

  9. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    East of Melbourne Aus.
    Age
    72
    Posts
    1,219

    Default

    A bit late but I built a Larsboat.

    Larsboat Build
    I am learning, slowley.

  10. #9
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    Massachusetts, USA
    Posts
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Pagie View Post
    A bit late but I built a Larsboat.

    Larsboat Build
    Thanks! For various reasons I haven't actually done anything yet, which I'm sure will shock everyone.

    I'll go check out the build log, and see how it looks!

  11. #10
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Western australia
    Posts
    27

    Default

    Here are some other outrigger/sail plans you may wish to consider.

    Kayak & Canoe Sailing Rig: Ultra-Light, Easy to Assemble and Launch!

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